RTG Hanoi Daily Dispatch - for website 2 - Flipbook - Page 2
27 January to
23 February 2024
Pre start & scrutineering
Hồ Chí Minh
27 January 2024
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
in the steamy flatlands of southern vietnam, the
mekong delta slowly empties itself into the south
China sea. a little to the east, Rally the Globe and
26 crews have set up camp in the ancient City of
saigon, now hồ Chí minh, for the first event of a
busy 2024.
the Road to Hanoi Marathon, the second long-distance
rally in a row, will, over the next month make its way
through vietnam, laos, Cambodia, and thailand towards
the finish line in hà nội. the crews on the start list can
look forward to 6,866km of jungle, mountain and coastal
roads, peppered with 15 tests and 40 regularities to give
the timekeepers something to work on.
From a pre-war Bentley to a 1974 Porsche 911, all
manner of cars assembled in the car park of the mai house
hotel. amongst them were some old favourites and one
or two surprises. Winners of the Classic Category of the
last Marathon event, ean and alison lewin, have brought
the very same car which took them to the top step of the
podium in Cabo. once their heads had cleared the effects
of the prizegiving dinner, the crew set to in the car park to
ensure their rs 1600 was race-ready for its next adventure
on the other side of the world. there were still a few
outstanding jobs, so for most of the day ean found himself
a cosy nook in the basement to spread out his tools.
another three Fords are with us. tim eades and Jim
mclaren have brought another escort, whilst tony rowe
and mark delling are back in their 1939 v8 Coupe. Clive
hopkins and Charles gooch’s 1965 mustang Convertible is
new to RtG, and this big open-top cruiser rounds out team
blue oval.
manuel and irene dubs, winners of the Alaska to Mexico
Marathon vintage category, have left their Ford Coupe at
home and brought their distinctive 1932 rockne six 75.
graham and marina goodwin have eschewed their usual
Cricklewood carriages - and thrown the media crew’s
keywording protocol into disarray - by bringing a Porsche
911 to the party - complete with a targa top and a roll cage.
usually seen roaring around the world topless, how the
goodwins will fare being cooped up indoors - albeit under
a targa canopy - for the next month remains to be seen.
stewing in the 34°c heat, with 48% humidity, the sweep
crews of andy inskip, Charlie neale, Jamie turner and
russ smith took charge of scrutineering, checking cars
for compliance and safety. gill Cotton and sarah ormerod
meanwhile dealt with the necessary documentation in the
cooler and slightly calmer surroundings of the opulent
mai house where John Cotton had teamed up with dr
John llewellyn in the dispensary handing out the stickers
and rally plates.
the RtG team has been bolstered for this event by
Kim Bannister who, as route coordinator, has laboured
www.rallytheglobe.com
